Feels-packed week

If the past (long) weekend could be summed up in a single word, it would be: intense. Very intense. But in general, the past week has altogether been one wicked rollercoaster ride of emotions, beginning from the Sunday where I picked up where I left off in My Mad Fat Diary (MMFD) from the previous night, all the way to the concerts on Thursday and Friday.

It's suffice to say that MMFD has become one of my new favourite TV shows, and judging from how I just rambled on and on about what makes it so endearing to me in the previous post, I'll refrain from going on any further. Spent last Monday in camp catching up on the final few episodes of the second season in between preparing for the field exercise the next day, and managed to finish the entire show right before I went to sleep... which wasn't a good idea at all, considering how I'd very much prefer conserving as much of a good book or a good show as possible (so that I wouldn't feel like there's nothing to look forward to). Of course, I failed miserably this time, and now I'm just left hoping the show will be renewed for a third season.

The next two days in camp were terribly bleak, and I don't exactly know what has gotten to me, but my combat fitness seems to drop drastically with each field exercise. If you haven't already known, I HATE going out to the field with a passion, and sometimes, the dread I feel when I'm just about to move out from camp – when I'm just about to pick up the abhorrent, backbreaking burden that is the Alice pack, to be exact – is almost unbearable. This particular exercise was no excuse, and to nobody's surprise, it became the new worst field exercise ever. I've also noticed how my sense of accomplishment dwindles with each time I return to camp from an exhausting field exercise, while there's never a shortage of nasty insect bites all over my hands, shoulders, back and neck, and the temptation to just give up is always there, yet hardly within reach. With 6 months left to go before ORD, the road may seem short to many, but from where I'm standing, there's still quite a lot more to tide through. All I can say is, let me always see the greater purpose to this pain which can, at times, seem so meaningless. On the verge of burning out, but I don't want to give up... just yet.

Regardless, I guess this experience, if anything, did make the events which followed later on in the week sweeter? All I can say is, thank God there wasn't any more drama holding me back from actually attending the concerts... from experience, you never know what the SAF can come up with to completely foil your plans at any point during your time with them.

On to happier things: Taylor Swift was simply phenomenal on stage Thursday night, and that's not an understatement. I have to say I went in expecting quite the show, but it was our fault for mistakenly thinking that there was a sound check going on when we heard Ellie Goulding tracks inside the stadium while we were loitering around outside and basking in the atmosphere a few hours before the doors opened. This led us to assume that Ellie was going to make a surprise appearance later on in the show, but our hopes were quickly dashed when Taylor simply rounded off the night with her encore performance of 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'. Because it was also the very final show of the Red Tour, we were all eagerly expecting something special, but although it turned out to be just another one of her normal shows, I'm DEFINITELY not complaining, for she still put up a great performance. Remaining pitch-perfect throughout, I can see that her vocals have definitely matured (though they still sounded a little strained at some points). The elaborate stage set-up, troupes of back-up dancers, numerous costume changes and bright, actively-changing LED lights also helped set the groundwork for a very entertaining show, and I was especially blown away by her performances for 'Holy Ground' (thoroughly enjoyed the drum sequence towards the chorus), 'I Knew You Were Trouble.' (still awestruck by that signature, impossible 3-second costume change), and '22' (I unabashedly went temporarily insane for this). For the surprise B-stage song, she dished out an acoustic performance of 'Long Live', a song which I feel is very apt for the final installment of her tour. Another defining moment in her show would be none other than the performance for her piano ballad 'All Too Well', in which she, well, did her trademark hair flips for the very last time in the Red Tour. All in all, I guess everyone who was with me at the concert reached a consensus that it was a night they wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon, and as she moves on to bigger, better projects, I really have her to thank for always going the extra mile for her international fans... even if it means taking the Red Tour halfway around the globe to Asia, and dragging it on for a year and a half. Then again, if I was earning even a quarter of what she rakes in from all that touring, I wouldn't be complaining already!

Also, before I forget, something ironic yet funny happened while we were hanging around outside the stadium before the show. Sheryl & I were getting excited over the possibility of Ellie Goulding appearing on stage beside Taylor Swift when we bumped into these three 14-year-olds (two girls and a guy). We small-talked for a bit and exchanged names, and when Sheryl introduced herself, both the girls broke out in giggles. Apparently, they also had a friend named Sheryl who is 'crazy because she drinks like, 100%'. And 100% what, you may ask? Bubble tea. Upon hearing this, Sheryl laughed and said she thought their friend was crazy because she drank 100% alcohol... which led us to feeling a little depressed, because right there and then, it hit us that we were getting a little too old for our comfort. You see, we're still not exactly ready to leave behind the days where the most badass drink someone could ever get was bubble tea with 100% sugar. True enough, upon reaching home after the concert, I swiftly chugged down a jug of beer to cool myself down... not that it means anything (I think).

If Taylor Swift was the highlight of the week, then Ellie Goulding was the icing on the cake. She returned to Singapore Friday night for her Halcyon Days Tour, and apparently, she played to a sold-out crowd at the Esplanade Concert Hall for the same tour last year. I'm definitely not lamenting the fact that she found Singapore crowds compelling enough for her to release yet another tour date here, and if anything, our crowds have never been more welcoming of her. As evidenced by how everyone went wild when she burst into the stage for 'Figure 8', her first performance of the night, it was obvious all of us adored her. In exchange, she continued to wow us with her husky yet dulcet voice and incredible vocal acrobatics throughout the set, and her power-packed dance moves (and abs) were enough to give her rival indie/electronic pop acts a run for their money. Though the show proved to be consistently good, my favourite parts were definitely the performance for her famous cover of Elton John's 'Your Song' – it sounded exactly like the studio-recorded version, and the final four songs and encore performance of the show, all of which were her radio hits ('Anything Could Happen', 'I Need Your Love', 'Lights', 'You My Everything' and 'Burn'). Predictably, the entire theatre went insane, and the atmosphere was overwhelming. I was literally jumping around, reaching my hands out to God-knows-what (probably a sign of complete immersion and release I guess), and overall it was plain enjoyable, and definitely great value-for-money.

I'm also grateful for Sheryl, who was my company for the two nights of concerts (without whom I probably wouldn't be spurred to watch Ellie Goulding), as well as a couple of my old classmates from secondary school and Michelle who joined me for the Taylor Swift show. On another note, I was expecting some serious post-concert depression to set in after those two nights of sweet music, but it didn't prove to be too bad. Instead, I just feel really fulfilled to have seen two of my favourite musical acts in town on two consecutive nights. I've also come to like going for concerts more, though I don't exactly know if that's a good thing, HAHA. No matter, here's to (hopefully) seeing more of my most-liked artistes around in the near future (provided I can fork out the cash, that is)!

Wonderful Unknown

Here we go, dancing on our own,
Inside this house that we have never known, never known
Here we go, going in alone
Into the dark and wonderful unknown,
Let us go, let us go

Loving Ingrid Michaelson's new album. I've had it playing on loop in YouTube since three nights ago, after learning that she'll be returning to Singapore for a show in September. To be honest, I wasn't even aware that she released a new album until the tour announcement was made, but better late than never, right?

Anyway, she definitely didn't disappoint this time round - the album's beautifully crafted songs speak of life, love and loss with a trademark sensitivity that, as usual, pays a poignant tribute to her life experiences. I also dived in fully expecting the album to be rather mellow, judging from the way it was marketed and all, but my ears were, much to my surprise, warmly greeted by a good number of upbeat tunes, such as 'Afterlife', and 'Girls Chase Boys'. If you ask me, the album's definitely worth a listen (why the hell not?), and if you're the type who has a soft spot for female vocalists who actively participate in the songwriting and producing process, blessing the world not only with their beautiful voices, but also with their stunning music and lyrics, you're in for a wonderful treat. My personal favourites off this album would be her collaborations, namely 'Over You', 'Open Hands' and 'One Night Town', and of course, the song posted above.

In other news, I haven't done a good job at catching up with my life in this place... as expected. The block leave I was forced to clear this week's quickly coming to an end, and although I didn't go out of the way to have lots of fun and make the most out of this period (e.g. spontaneously hopping on a plane to a random country), it still didn't feel wasted, so all is well.

Two Saturdays ago, I woke up at the unearthly hour of 7.30am to accompany my mom to a Shopify sharing session at SingTel ComCentre. Initially, I had misgivings about the event because after all, she was tipped off by a random advertisement that appeared in Her World magazine, so I was expecting it to be rather... femininely out-of-touch, if that's a complete enough description. It turned out to be informative and even engaging in the end, and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the skewed gender ratio in the audience and the fact that I still don't believe it's good value for money (the entrance fee was a whopping $50 if I'm not wrong). The sharing session did inspire a couple of fresh ideas in me (which I have yet to act upon) though, and I definitely left with a much better impression of Shopify on a whole (entered thinking that it was just an entry-level, non-professional e-commerce start-up website for those looking to dabble casually in online markets, but left affirmed that it's actually an efficient, no-frills solution for both amateurs and professionals alike... I overestimate my IT skills too much for my own good).

The next day, I met Michelle, Sheryl & Lena for a 'night under the stars' with Shakespeare in the Park: The Merchant of Venice. Had dinner at Kith Café @ Park Mall, a place I've been meaning to try for pretty long already, before settling down at Fort Canning Park (with surprisingly good seats considering how we were rather late) for a truly amazing performance by the Singapore Repertory Theatre. The stage could barely be considered fancy and the dialogue was a little too flowery for my liking, but despite that, the cast successfully managed to assimilate their roles and make the story accessible. Overall, it was great value for money, and even now I'm already contemplating if I should attend the event again next year, hahaha.

Before I happily left camp for the enforced block leave last Friday, I had to pull through yet another mini field exercise which turned out memorable (in a bad way of course) due to run-ins with the CSM which saw me signing for three extra duties and kissing my clean record goodbye... all because of a stupid 'mistake' which isn't even worth mentioning here. If anything, it only serves to remind me that in the army, you can literally do anything you want - just don't get caught. Ever.

On Sunday, a few of us 'old birds' (lol) from the E290 days gathered to belatedly celebrate Xiaoshi's birthday with a meal at the ThaiPan in the Mandarin Gardens apartments (老地方 where we used to gather for cell group meetings in the past), followed by a hilarious karaoke session (just because Xiaoshi was so tone-deaf). Returning to places in my recent past, I can't help but find it funny how so much has changed, when it feels like things haven't actually been very different. Aaron, who used to live in Mandarin Gardens and who played host to our cell group meetings in the past, left our lives without leaving so much as a trace in the end, and looking back, church has unknowingly come to play such a huge role in my life such that it's startling to realise how I've actually seen so many changes over the past few years. Perhaps the reason why this hadn't hit me with full impact until now was because the important parts remained more or less the same, and the friendships I most valued remained more or less intact, giving me an illusion that things are just taking their time to change. But in due time, I know God will lead us to different places, even if we don't exactly realise it.

Tuesday was a day to honour a promise that I frankly didn't really bother keeping – exercising, with the exact promise being to exercise regularly, but obviously I'm a horrible person who's too lazy for my own good. Went to Yiren's aunt's condo to swim with Sheryl & him, where I tried to exercise at the gym for a bit and teach Sheryl how to swim the breaststroke... to no avail, unfortunately. The swim also made me realise that my fitness level has plunged more drastically than I thought, and it's an especially sad realisation considering how little I actually care. I guess I need to stop thinking that I'll never be able to gain weight no matter what I do, and start exercising again, even if it means taking baby steps towards a goal that may currently still be out of sight. But of course, this particular thought didn't immediately occur to me, for right after the swim we gladly indulged in hawker fare (wanton noodles + oyster omelette om nom nom) and some waffles with ice cream at the nearby Milk & Honey Gelato which, I have to say, was shockingly underwhelming. I remember cringing upon my first taste of the balsamic strawberry flavour which was way too concentrated and sour, while Yiren & Sheryl were more than satisfied with how the café played their favourite Kari Jobe as background music (I'm not exactly a fan, so sadly that didn't manage to compensate for anything).

Moving on, Wednesday was yet another wet day (albeit more tiring), and this time, I spent the afternoon at Adventure Cove with Kwok Sing & Raman. They were rather unexpected company, for I didn't anticipate to meet any NS friends at all during this block leave, but nonetheless it was a day well-spent. Adventure Cove occurred to me as a more hyped-up version of Wild Wild Wet, and we ended up spending most of our time fooling around in the wave pool and the artificial river which meandered through the park, instead of trying out the water slides. But it was definitely fun to be like a kid again (although half the time it was just the other two who were fooling around, hahaha).

Made it a point to head down to Kinokuniya after my driving lesson on Thursday afternoon to get a couple more titles to read. I settled with 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' and 'Atonement' in the end (hopefully they won't prove to be too overwhelming for my tiny brain), marking the halfway point in my reading challenge for this year – that is, to complete 18 books. Continued to while away quite some time there and in the Orchard area before heading straight down to Jurong West for bible study, which I felt was definitely at least worth the time spent travelling there. I personally really appreciate Pastor Tan's lucid analyses of the Scriptures, and how he always manages to sieve out the most important and enduring themes and messages from the Word. Also, Yuyun, back from a 6-week long trip to Kenya and very obviously full of interesting stories, joined us that night, and I was nothing short of enthralled at her colourful sharings during the cab ride home. If anything, it definitely changed my perspective of Africa, making it a little more personal somehow. Welcome back Yuyun (if you're reading this), and I honestly can't wait to follow your footsteps and embark on journeys similar to yours. :) Six more months to freedom!

Although the block leave's ending very soon, there's still quite a lot to be excited about, what with two upcoming concerts/gigs next week (Red Tour and Ellie Goulding). I can only imagine the post-concert depression that inevitably follow, but for now, I shall just revel in the tense anticipation. So here's to a (hopefully) smooth week ahead, before I go on to unleash the Ultimate Fanboy Mode. I just hope that I don't procrastinate writing about the concerts too much, though.